Revoking my Gamer Card: First Impressons of A Link to the Past

by: Scott Thompson
Originally posted on Scott's 1UP blog

I have done some horrible things in my life. Things so shocking and gut wrenching that merely hinting at them here makes me flush. Forget the closet; I rent an entire floor to skeletons of all shapes and sizes. Amidst all my secrets, one can be seen towering above the others with ease. I have wrestled with the guilt for far too long. Hoping to relinquish some of the burden on my very soul, I have decided to unleash this dark secret upon the world. Let it weigh on you if it means some peace within myself...

I have never played The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Oh, what horror becomes you at such news?

Theatrics aside, it is undeniably true that I have never played this certifiable classic. Why, you ask? I can't really say for sure. Growing up, I played other SNES gems such as Super Metroid and EarthBound, but for whatever reason my younger self simply skipped over the Zelda series entirely. I remained blissfully ignorant of Hyrule's plight until my 13th birthday when I received Ocarina of Time.

Since that moment, I have remained on the frontlines defending that mystical land from Ganon's quest for power and destruction, playing each subsequent entry in the series. I learned to appreciate Majora's Mask; fell in love with Toon Link; eventually trusted the crafty Midna. Link's battle through the Dark World, however, remained untold to me; until now. Several hours in, with the Master Sword gripped firmly in my hands, I reflect on what has been an entirely enjoyable and eye opening experience.

Having tried (futilely) to play the original Legend of Zelda several times, I was immediately enamored with it's SNES predecessor which thankfully provided small guidance to the player, as well as a handy world map. The game even opened with a small sequence that could be considered a training exercise before opening up the land of Hyrule to the player. A Link to the Past treads the line between the vagueness of the original and the hand-holding of more modern day games incredibly well.

The world map accessible in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

However, knowing where to go is only half the battle. Where A Link to the Past may be a little more guided than its progenitor, it certainly makes up for it in difficulty. Enemies are unrelenting and, annoyingly, reappearing. It's rare for me to retain more than half my hearts when traveling a small distance over the world map. Worse yet, hearts are a precious commodity rarely found in the wild and limitedly placed in the various dungeons.

At this point, my only disappointment is in the boss battles themselves. Unlike Ocarina of Time and the games following, A Link to the Past simply has you swiping your sword as much as you can until the boss is dead, rather than having to cleverly use the special item picked up in that dungeon. I am admittedly early in the game though, so hopefully this will change in due time.

Boss(s) battle in the first dungeon

Most interesting to me is how much this game has influenced the sequels since its release. Well, maybe influence is putting it too lightly. Most of the games in the series are direct copies of A Link to the Past. Find the three shiny things, pick up a new item in each dungeon, get the Master Sword, try to defeat Ganon, collect 6 or 7 other shiny things and then try again. Oh, and make sure to travel to some alternate version of Hyrule. Reductive as this statement may be, there is no denying some truth here.

It is at once enjoyable and frustrating to play A Link to the Past this far after its release. On one hand, it is unbelievable to think that it was 18 years ago that Nintendo created THE Zelda formula by which all the other games would be designed. It is nearly flawless in every way. On the other hand, it is disappointing to see that the company has been afraid to stray too far from its own proven recipe for success (with the exception of Majora's Mask and, to some extent, Phantom Hourglass). Here's hoping that Spirit Tracks will inject some much needed life into the Zelda series which, while fun, is growing worryingly stagnant.